No more periods?
When I was younger I used to think it would be so great if someday women didn’t have to have periods anymore. I figured that surely science would come up with some way to do this. I mean, come on - who likes periods? Men certainly don’t - they could only benefit from women not having them. And for us they are just a pain (sometimes literally). I didn’t know if this would happen in my lifetime or not, or even when I was still young enough for it to matter to me.
Well, apparently there have been ways to avoid having a period for long lengths of time or even at all for some time now. Where have I been? Under a rock somewhere it seems!
The other day I read where many doctors and nurses have been avoiding their periods by just starting a new packet of their birth control pills right after finishing one, rather than to stop taking them for a week. I didn’t even realize that when you are taking birth control pills that the periods you have aren’t actually real periods. They are called ‘breakthrough’ bleeding.
Of course it isn’t a good idea to use a medication differently than how it is recommended to be used - but to at least know about these things in case something comes up where a period would be extremely inconvenient would have been nice. Remember in Sixteen Candles when the older sister is getting married and her period starts and the stuff she taking for cramps makes her totally out of it? That could have been completely avoided if she had known how to avoid or postpone a period! Nevermind that the movie would not have been quite so entertaining.
The drug company Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. released SEASONALE in 2003. It is some sort of extended-cycle oral contraceptive. And now they have just gotten FDA approval for SEASONIQUE. With SEASONIQUE you take a pill with levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol for 84 days in a row. Then go for 7 days with taking a pill with only ethinyl estradiol. And you only have a period 4 times a year!
Let me repeat that:
You will only have a period 4 times a year!
SEASONIQUE will be available by July this year. Cool isn’t it? Ok, its not exactly a cure for cancer or aging, a space colony, a matter transmitter or a time machine - but at least science has now accomplished one of the things I have always dreamed of!
Now, one question remains: will our health insurance will pay for it or not?
(Technorati Tags: SEASONIQUE, SEASONALE, period, health, birth control)
May 26, 2006
Holiday blog round up!
I’ve come across some interesting blog posts today and, being in a nerdy mood today, I thought I’d share them with you.
Biology News Net has a post about how Many cleaners, air fresheners may pose health risks when used indoors.
Tara C. Smith at Aetiology discusses Clostridium bacteria, one of which causes botulism in Emerging Disease and Zoonoses #15–Clostridium species.
Got Bones has a post about the jaw necrosis that sometimes occurs in people using certain osteoporosis drugs. I’ve wanted to blog about this for a while, but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
Hsien Hsien Lei talks about the DRD4 Gene and Sex Addiction
Twisty at I Blame The Patriarchy does a great job (as always) of blogging about how the rhythm method kills off more embryos than other forms of birth control: Rhythm Method: Now Just As Painful To Jesus As The Pill
And finally, Dr. Free-Ride at Adventures of Ethics and Science discusses whether or not there are less women in science because women are ‘repelled by nerd culture’ more than men: Let my people (let themselves) go
Have a great weekend!
(Technorati Tags: health, osteoporosis, nerds, science)
May 25, 2006
Link to original NIH report
I almost forgot, here is a link to the original NIH report:
http://consensus.nih.gov/2006/2006MultivitaminMineralSOS028html.htm
Are we taking too many vitamins and minerals?
Last week - from May 15 to the 17 - the ‘NIH (National Institutes of Health) State-of-the-Science Conference on Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements and Chronic Disease Prevention’ took place in Bethesda, MD.
The conference focused on vitamin and mineral use and explored a number of questions regarding their usefulness and safety.
The six questions are below, along with their conclusions:
1)What are the current patterns and prevalence of the public’s use of MVM (multivitamin/mineral) supplements?
- Over half of Americans take a MVM because they believe that it will help them feel better and be healthier.
- Sales of supplements to Americans are now at around $23 billion, with MVM being most of these.
- Women, elderly, better educated, wealthier, healthier lifestyle, disease survivors, chronic disease sufferers and lower BMI people tend to take them the most.
- Smokers, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans tend to use them less.
2)What is known about the dietary nutrient intake of MVM user versus nonusers?
- People who take MVM tend to eat healthier diets anyway.
3)What is the efficacy of single vitamin/mineral supplement use in chronic disease prevention?
The findings of the study include:
- Beta-carotene: an increase in lung cancer in smokers has been associated with use
- Vitamin B2 and niacin: decreased risk of nuclear cataracts
- Vitamin B6: no effects on cognitive decline
- Folic acid: effective when used by pregnant women in preventing neural tube defects
- Calcium and Vitamin D: used together these nutrients do help to reduce risks of fractures in postmenopausal women
4)What is the efficacy of MVM in chronic disease prevention in the general population of adults?
- Cancer: incidence of some cancers may be reduced by some vitamins or minerals, but nothing conclusive
- Cardiovascular disease: no benefits or harm were found
- Cataract: Mixed results
- Macular degeneration: one study showed benefit from vitamin C, E, beta-carotene and zinc
5)What is known about the safety of MVM for the generally health population?
Some vitamins or minerals may actually increase risks of some cancers. Consumption above the recommend UL (upper limit) may be harmful.
6)What are the major knowledge gaps and research opportunities regarding MVM use?
The panel recommends more studies to further the understanding of MVM including those related to interactions of MVM with medications and ethnic/age/gender specific studies.
********************************************************
The panel consisted of 13 members with expertise in nutrition, statistics, toxicology, geriatric medicine, pediatrics, cancer prevention, consumer protection and more. The panel was chaired by J. Michael McGinnis.
In their conclusion they stated ‘Finally, the present evidence is insufficient to recommend either for or against the use of MVMs by the American public to prevent chronic disease.’
An interesting interview with Dr. Meir J. Stampfer, Maret Traber, Ph.D. , Dr. Irwin Rosenberg and Dr. Johanna M. Seddon can be found at NPR: Experts Make Their Recommendations on Vitamins.
I like the point made by Dr. Meir J. Stampfer: ‘We can’t lose sight of the idea that just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safe. Tobacco and asbestos are natural, yet they are not safe.’. That’s a very good point that gets forgotten all too often.
The point seems very clear too that it is best to get your nutrients from the food you eat rather than from supplements. I do the best I can at this, but it is not easy all the time. I wonder how many people think that if they take a vitamin they don’t need to worry about how they eat?
May 22, 2006
Got twins?
A new study by Dr. Gary Steinman shows that women who drink milk are 5 times more likely to have twins than women who don’t eat or drink any animal products.
The study compared the number of twins born to women who ate a regular diet, vegetarians (who do consume dairy products), and vegans (no animal products).
Gary Steinman believes that levels of IGF (insulin-like growth factor) may be involved. IGF is released from the liver in response to growth hormone. It results in ovaries being more sensitive to follicle stimulating hormone - which increases ovulation.
Since IGF enters milk, including cow’s milk, this may be why milk drinkers have a greater chance of having twins. Vegans have a 13% lower level of IGF in their blood.
Some women just naturally have higher levels of IGF. Black women have higher rates of twin births and they also have higher levels of IGF in their blood. Asian women tend to have much lower IGF levels and also the lowest rate of twin births. Caucasian women have levels some where in between.
Also, in cows, genes that influence the chance of having twins are near the gene for IGF.
Possible explanations for the number of twins has increased in the last 30 years include fertility treatments, women delaying pregnancy and hormones fed to cows.
Gary Steinman works at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York and this study appears in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, in the May 2006 issue.
What genetic disorders does prenatal genetic testing detect?
Hsien Hsien Lei at Genetics and Health asks ‘What genetic disorders does prenatal genetic testing detect?’ in her most recent genetics quiz.
The answer?
‘Down syndrome, trisomy 13, trisomy 18, sex chromosomal abnormalities, and other rare genetic disorders resulting in mental retardation and/or physical problems.’
See more of her genetics quizzes here!
Weight gain increases risk of breast cancer
A new study to be published in the journal Cancer by Heather Spencer Feigelson of the American Cancer Society has found that women who gain weight as an adult have a greater chance of getting breast cancer later on in life.
The study looked at data from over 44.000 women and concluded that the more weight a woman gained - the greater chance she had of developing any type of breast cancer. Women who gained more than 60 pounds were either twice or three times as likely to develop certain types of cancers compared to those who only gained 20 pounds.
It is believed that the link between the two in breast cancer is due to fat tissue producing more estrogen. In estrogen positive tumors, estrogen helps the cancer to grow. I don’t have a copy of the Cancer paper, but according to Staff Nurse weight gain only increased the chance of developing estrogen positive tumors, not estrogen negative - in accordance with previous data.
A connection between cancer and obesity has been known a long time - this really is no surprise. I would like to see data that shows the link between a percent of weight gain rather total pounds gained. For some women gaining 20 pounds is a lot, but for others - if they are otherwise large women - 60 pounds may not be that much of a gain. If I can get a copy of the study, I will see if they looked at percent weight increase or not.
(Technorati Tags: breast cancer, weight gain, health, cancer, fat, estrogen)
May 15, 2006
The paradox of BRCA1 in breast cancer
Mutations in the gene BRCA1 are associated with about 5% of breast cancers. In the remainder of breast cancers there are still decreased levels of BRCA1 present. Due to this it is believed that the normal role of BRCA1 is to suppress tumors.
High levels of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) in breast cancer patients is an indicator of the aggressiveness of the disease. This is because VEGF leads to angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process of growing new blood vessels. When tumors grow to a certain size the cells within it can’t get enough oxygen - a condition called: hypoxia. Hypoxia could otherwise cause a cell to die, but cancer cells find a way around this. They start releasing VEGF, resulting in new blood vessels coming to the tumor thus providing the needed oxygen and other nutrients.
Now bear with me - it gets a bit more complicated - for a cell to make more VEGF, it first needs more of the transcription factor called HIF-1 (Hypoxia Inducible Factor). When a cell is in a condition of no oxygen (hypoxia), HIF-1 is stabilized and plenty of it is available.
So this is what we have so far:
A cell is in a state of hypoxia (e.g. within a tumor), this results in an increase in HIF-1, which results in more VEGF, which results in an increase in angiogenesis - providing the cancerous cells the oxygen they need to stay alive.
Hypoxia —–> HIF-1 —–> VEGF —–> angiogenesis
So what does BRCA1 have to do with this? Recent research by Insoo Bae of Georgetown University now shows that BRCA1 helps to stabilize HIF-1. On one hand this data helps to explain why some earlier research found lower levels of VEGF in women with BRCA1 mutations. If the BRCA1 gene is mutated, its corresponding protein is likely to either not be present or to not function properly. If the BRCA1 protein is not present to help stabilize HIF-1, then less VEGF will be made.
However, it contradicts other data in which suggests that BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor since it shows that decreased levels of BRCA1 should result in less VEGF and therefore, less angiogenesis.
So what is the answer to this paradox? No one knows yet, but Insoo Bae’s group suggests that the decrease in BRCA1 in breast cancers may not be responsible for increase in angiogenesis in these cancers.
Stay tuned to this blog for more information about the role of BRCA1 in breast cancer in the coming weeks, months or however long it takes!
Insoo Bae’s paper about this research was published in the May 12, 2006 volume 281, Number 19 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
(Technorati Tags: BRCA1, VEGF, angiogenesis, hypoxia, breast cancer, HIF-1)
National Women’s Check-Up Day
Today, the second day of National Women’s Health Week, is: National Women’s Check-Up Day!
Around the country many hospitals and other health care centers will be providing preventive health screenings to women.
Just a bit of criticism here: according to the ‘The National Women’s Health Information Center‘ we are supposed to
‘contact their existing health care providers or one of the participating health care providers to schedule check-ups and screening services that day’. While it is of course good that the country is acknowledging the fact that many women need to be checked for many illnesses - it seems kind of silly to suggest we all do it today. I see my doctor every January - am I supposed to go again today? Of course not. Instead they should just emphasis an awareness of the importance of regular exams. It’s not like we could all get our appointment on the same day of the year anyway!
So if you do see a doctor on a regular basis and are up to date on any tests or screenings you need - sit back and relax (or more likely work) today! If you haven’t however - you really should stop and make and appointment with your doctor to keep yourself as healthy as possible.
May 14, 2006
National Women’s Health Week Starts Today!
Today, Mother’s Day, is this year start of National Women’s Health Week! It runs from May 14-20 and is in its 7th year. It is organized by the Department of Health and Human Services and an alliance of other organizations. The purpose of the event is to ‘raise awareness about manageable steps women can take to improve their health’ and to ‘encourage women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life’
Learn more about this event by visiting: ‘ The National Women’s Health Information Center‘ and find out how you can participate and spread the word! The site also has links for more information about women’s health, ecards to send, posters to print out and more!
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